Outdoor Adventure
Buffalo National River
Outdoor Adventure
Buffalo National River
From state parks to national forests, The Natural State is brimming with great places to indulge in the outdoors. Take the Buffalo National River, one of the few remaining undammed rivers in the lower 48. Flowing freely for 135 miles, its waters are largely rainfall dependent—though its highest levels are typically in spring, when the rushing upper river becomes a whitewater playground for skilled kayakers and canoers. Summer is usually the time for a more relaxing float. The park itself encompasses over 95,000 natural acres, all linked together by scenic hiking, horseback riding, and ATV trails. It’s also home to approximately 40 miles of mountain bike trails. They wind through the river’s headwaters, crossing creeks with steep climbs and stellar descents, attracting riders of varying levels.
Arts & Culture
Bentonville
Arts & Culture
Bentonville
Over the past two decades, northwest Arkansas’s once-sleepy town of Bentonville has solidified itself as an artistic and cultural hub. At its heart is Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, a project of Walmart heiress Alice Walton, whose father founded the retail giant. An architectural wonder in itself, the striking wood and glass structure boasts a renowned collection of works from such highly acclaimed artists as Norman Rockwell and Georgia O’Keeffe, as well as the mid-century modern Bachman-Wilson House—a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece reassembled here from its original New Jersey location. For coffee, cocktails, and engaging events like talks on indigenous foodways and jazz trio performances, swing by The Momentary, a decommissioned cheese factory turned contemporary art space. Public art proliferates throughout town, from electrifying neon displays to Chihuly glass works, tucked away along forested trails.
Rest & Recharge
Hot Springs
Rest & Recharge
Hot Springs
For a soul-soothing recharge, start your Arkansas journey in Hot Springs National Park, tucked within Arkansas’s Ouachita Mountains. Everyone from Native Americans to early European explorers flocked here to experience its healing waters. The heart of town is Bathhouse Row, comprised of eight grand Victorian bathhouses owned by the National Park Service and built between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Opt for a traditional spa experience at Buckstaff Bathhouse, continuously operating since opening in 1912, or indulge in the more modern amenities of Quapaw Baths and Spa, including soaking in the rejuvenating waters of an aromatherapy bath. Later, restore your senses with a forested hike in nearby Lake Ouachita State Park, or swim in the clear freshwaters of 40,000-acre Lake Ouachita, Arkansas's largest lake. Calming Garvan Woodland Gardens is home to hundreds of flower species and trees, including azaleas, magnolias, and roses.
History
Little Rock
History
Little Rock
Arkansas’s riverfront capital is also a bastion of state history. The city’s Historic Arkansas Museum features an entire block of carefully restored buildings—
including Little Rock’s oldest structure, an 1850s farmstead—that bring local history to life. For a more modern past, there’s Little Rock Central High School. While today it is a National Historic Site operated by the National Park Service, in 1957, it became a site of mandated desegregation, as well as a major catalyst for change, when federal troops escorted the first nine Black students through its doors. Or explore the life of Arkansas native and 42nd U.S. President Bill Clinton before, during, and after his presidency at the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum. The three-floor space houses hundreds of thousands of artifacts, including the saxophone Clinton played at the Arkansas Inaugural Ball.
Delta Flavor
Great River Road
Delta Flavor
Great River Road
Arkansas’s Delta region is home to a rich agricultural legacy, one that’s on full display along the Great River Road. This National Scenic Byway and All-American Road passes among the large expanses of soybeans, rice, cotton, and wheat that nourish Arkansans. The region’s rich soil is also evident at the family-owned Delta Dirt Distillery: unique in that it grows its own produce and grains in the same community where it distills its handmade spirits. For true Delta flavor, savoring the simple family recipes of Marianna’s Jones Bar-B-Q Diner is a must. Not only is this early 20th-century establishment one of the country's oldest Black-owned restaurants, but it’s the first Arkansas eatery to receive a James Beard Award. Farther north, the community-minded Wilson Cafe and Tavern serves up Southern-inspired dishes in a rustic-industrial setting.
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